Vestibule stock-car



No. 752,707. BA-TENTED 1 513.23, 1904.

. .T. L. PENNINGTON.

VESTIBULE STOCK GAR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 29, 1903.

fw'y

N0 MODEL.

2 sums-SHEET 1.

witness d:-

Inve

No. 752,707; PATENTED FEB. 23, 1904.

J. L. PENNINGTON.

VESTIBULE STOCK GAR.

APPLICATION FILED we. 29, 1903. no MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' c n wit'n Im/e'n UNITED STATES Patented February 23, 1904,

PATENT OFFICE.

VESTIBULE STOCK-CAR.

SPECIFIGAT-FION forming part of Letters Patent No. 752,707, dated February 23, 1904.

Application filed August 29, 1903.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN L. PENNINGTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Worth, Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vestibule Stock-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to stockcars, and more particularly to cars which are provided with end doors in addition to the side doors usually provided for such cars; and the object is to provide end doors for such cars and to construct and mount the doors so that the doors of two adjacent cars will form a vestibule between the ends of the cars, and to provide swinging platforms capable of swinging one hundred and eighty degrees to form gangways between the cars. At present cattle are driven into the cars at the side, and as soon as one car is full the train of cars'must be moved to bring the next car up to the cattle-chute. The same trouble is experienced in unloading the cars. As soon as one car is unloaded the train of cars must be moved. Such disadvantages are more noticeable at the numerous small stations. The engine and crew and the entire train are detained from one to three hours either for loading or unloading cars of cattle or other'stock.

The object of this invention is provide cars with doors and gangways for passage from one car to another, so that cattle can be driven from the entrance car to every car in the train without moving the cars. All the cars can then be filled without switching or moving the cars. The use of such cars will lessen the danger to the train-crew at Stockyards, because the trains will not have to be moved. With such cars time will be saved, because cars may be left at the diiferent stations" and filled at suitable times. When the trains arrive, no time would be lost except the time required forswitching the cars.

Other objects and advantages will be fully explained in'the following description, and the invention will be more particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings, which form apart of this application and specification.

Figure 1 is a broken longitudinal section of Serial No. 171,255. (No model.)

two cars, showing one of the end doors as placed to form avestibule between the ends of the cars and showing the gangway-ddors, one forming a gangway and the other being swung back on the floor of the car, so that the gangway will not be obstructed. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the doors and gangway, the parts being in the same position as shown in Fig. 1 and only enough of the cars being shown to indicate how the doors and gangways are mounted thereon, the view being taken horizontally along the line m m of Fig. 1. is an end View of one of the cars, showing the door closed and secured with bolts.

Similar characters of reference are used to indicate the same parts throughout the several views.

This invention consists of a door and a gangboard or platform hinged to each car, and the doors of two cars will serve to form the side walls of a vestibule if the doors are hung uniformly on the left side of the doorway, considering the left side of a doorway the side which is on left as a person faces the doorway. It is apparent that the doors may also be hung uniformly on the right side of a doorway. In the drawings are shown portions of cars A and B. The car A is provided with a door 1, hinged to a brace 2 of the car. The car B is provided with a door 3, hinged to a brace 4 of, the car. The door 1 when swung open will come against the brace 5 of car B, and the door 3 when swung open will come against the'brace 6 of car A. The door lmay be secured against the brace 5 by means of a latch 7, mounted on car B and engaging a staple 8 on the door 1. The door 8 may be secured against the brace 6 by means of a latch 9, mounted on the car A and engaging a staple 10 on the door 3. These latches are for temporary use while thedoors are to be held open and to form the vestibule. Each car is to be provided with a swinginggangboard or platform' 11 to form a floorfor the vestibule between the cars. Either one or both of the boards 11 may be used. When not in use the gang-boards are held adjacent to the doors 1 and 3, in the positions shown by dotted outlines inFig. 1. The gang-boards are secured in the uprightpositions by catches Fig. 3

- hinges 14c.

12, which may be mounted on the braces on either side of the doorways. The gang-boards are hinged to the floors of the cars, so that they can be turned one hundred and eighty degrees. In use both gang-boards may be brought down, one lying on the other, between the cars, and the bottom board resting on the sill 13 of the adjacent car, or one of the gang-boards may be sufficient. The other gang-board may be folded back on the floor of the car, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The gang-boards 11 are provided with suitable The hinges 1 1 consist of rods passed through the ends of the gang-boards and metal brackets or loops secured to the floor of the car adjacent to the braces on each side of the door. The rods projectfar enough out of the gang-boards to be engaged by these loops. The loops are of considerable height,

so that the gang-boards may be adjustable.

At times there is a bedding of considerable thickness on the floor of a car. boards are provided with adjustable hinges, so that the gang-boards will be adjustable to any thickness of such bedding. The doors 1 and 3 when closed are secured in place by bolts 15, which engage holes 16 in the braces 2, 4:, 5, and 6. These bolts may be pivotally connected to disks 17, mounted on the doors. The disks 17 may be provided with knobs or handles 18 for convenience in turning the disks to throw the bolts.

From the above description it will be seen that a train of cars may be loaded or unloaded without moving the cars by simply opening the doors and placing the gang-boards or platforms at the proper places. These doors and gang-boards will be useful for other cars than cattle or stock cars. Lumber or long pieces of steel or other material can be moved from car to car with suitable trucks, which will pass through these doors.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In cars of the character described, means for forming passages from one car to another of adjacent cars comprising doorways in the end of each car, the braces of each car forming the door-posts, a door hinged to one side of the doorway of each car and the door of one car being hinged to the opposite side from the door of the adjacent car, said door being adapted, when opened, to rest each against the door-post of the adjacent car, and a hinged gang-board adapted to form a floor between said doors when open.

' 2. In cars of the character described, said cars having upright end braces in each end thereof; means for forming a passage from The gang- I one car to another of adjacent cars comprising doorways in the end of each car, a door for each car hinged at the side of the doorway for one car and adapted to rest against the side of the doorway of the adjacent car, latches for holding said doors open, means for locking said doors closed, and a hinged gang-board adapted to form a floor for the gangway, and means for holding said gangboard in an upright position within the car when not in use.

3. In cars of the character described, said cars having upright end braces in each end thereof; means for forming a passage from one car to another of adjacent cars comprising doorways in the end of each car, a swinging gang-board for each door and hinges permitting vertical adjustment of each gangboard whereby the gang-boards of two adjacent cars may be folded on each other to form a passage-way from car to car, and a door hinged to each car and adapted to rest, when opened, against the brace of the adjacent car whereby a vestibule is formed between the cars.

4. In cars of the character described provided with end braces forming posts for doors in each end of the car; a doorway in each end of each car, swinging gang-boards hinged to the floors of the cars and adapted to stand in upright positions inside of said doorways when not in use and to fold on each other, when in use, to form a passage-way from car to car, means for retaining said boards in upright positions when not in use, and a door hinged at one side of each doorway and adapted to swing open and rest against the door-post of the adjacent car to form a vestibule between the cars.

5. In cars of the character described pro-.

vided with end braces forming posts for doors in each end of the car; a doorway in each end of each car, swinging gang-boards hinged to the floors of the cars and adapted to stand in upright positions inside of said doorways when not in use and to fold on each other to form a passage-way from car to car, a door hinged at one side of each doorwayand adapted to swing open and rest against the door-post of the adjacent car to form a vestibule between the cars, and pairs of bolts for each door adapted to engage the door-posts of the doorway.

In testimony whereof I set my hand, in the presence of two witnesses, this 19th day of August, 1903.

JOHN L. PENNINGTON.

Witnesses:

A. L. J ACKSON, J. W. S'rrr'r. 

